Felicia Sandler

The writing of Felicia Sandler's theory dissertation, Music of the Village in the Global Marketplace: Self-Expression, Inspiration, Appropriation or Exploitation?, involved extensive research, necessitating research trips to Ghana West Africa (the International Center for African Music and Dance, and work with master musicians in various villages), the Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights (working group meeting in Geneva on the redrafting of the Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Indigenous Peoples in which she participated), and a month's study at the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva. She has given papers and presentations on her topic at the international conference Music and Cultural Rights: Trends and Prospects (University of Pittsburgh), the National Conference of the Society for Ethnomusicology (Tucson), Borrowing Other People's Music at the Intercultural Institute (New England Conservatory), the 2nd Annual International conference Crossroads in Cultural Studies (Finland), the University of Michigan Ethnomusicology Colloquium, and the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan.

As a composer, Felicia Sandler has received performances by ensembles all across the United States and in both Eastern and Western Europe. Recent commissions include a new work for the NEC Percussion Ensemble (2005), a new work for the Corona Guitar Quartet of Denmark (2005), Hysteria in Salem Village for the Big East Conference Band Director's Association (2004), The Waking, for SATB split chorus for the Dale Warland Singers (2002), Rosie The Riveter, commissioned by H. Robert Reynolds for the University of Michigan Symphony band (2001), and Ring Out Wild Bells! for the University of Michigan Chamber Chorus (2000). Recent performances of note include the Women in Music Festival (Otterbein College, Ohio), Rutgers University Band (CBDNA National Convention in NY, 2005), Volti Chorus at the National College Music Society Conference (Nov., 2004), U.S. Navy Band (May 2003), Symposium of New Band Music - VA intercollegiate CBDNA conference (Feb. 2003), Plymouth Symphony (Nov. 2002), Rutgers University Band (Oct. 2002), Dale Warland Singers (May 2002), SCI 36th National Conference (April 2002).

Sandler has received awards from Meet The Composer, the Presser Foundation, and the American Composers Orchestra, among others. Sandler's choral compositions are published with E.C. Schirmer Publishing and Mark Foster Music Company, and her band music is published with Ballerbach Music.

B.M. in composition and theory, Conservatory of Music, University of the Pacific; MLM in Liturgical Music, The Catholic University of America; PhD in composition and theory, University of Michigan. Former faculty of Bowling Green State University and University of Michigan.